Wave-power.



L. WOLFLEY.

WAVE POWER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 11,1907.

' Patented Jan.19,1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1 atto/Lne? L. WOLFLEY. WAVE POWER. APPLICATION FILEDJULY 11,1907.

Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wi h1 eases attoznmg L. WOLFLEY. WAVE POWER. APlfLIGATIQN FILED JULY11,1907. 910,439.

Patenteauan. 19, 1909.

'4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

L. 'WOLFLEY. WAVE POWER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 11, 1907,

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

@trauma 'LEWIS WOLFLEY,OF 'PRESCOTTNARZONATERRITGRY.-

WAVE-POWER.

Specification of Letters Patent. l

PntentedJan. 19, 19,09.

Applicationled .July 11, 1907. Serial No. 383,279.-

To alllwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS WoLrLEY, a citizen of 'the United States,residing at Prescott, in thecounty of Yavapai and Territory of- Arizona,have invented certain new andusetul improvements in Wave-Powers, ofwhich the following is a specication.

My invention relates to the utilization of the wave power-of the oceanand other large bodies otwater, and has for its principal object theproductionof a system of piers, .oats and accessory' apparatus along theshore thatwill utilize every effective motion of the.- waves andassociated currents, and leven increase their. force. y This inyentionbelongs to thatclass of wave motor ,devices in-which a boat or ioatrestsupon the surfaceof the water -and is moved to-and-i'ro by the wavesand currents.

' lnjcarrying the invention into e'ect I provvide aseries ofthese floatsalong the shore line, arranged in inlets formed between a seriesofpiers, each inlet being occupied, preferably,"y by-a single float. Eachfloat is provided -with standards and stays, and to the standards areattached driveechains .which .coperate with suitable drums and shaftingmounted upon the piers, to convert the motions of ,the floats into aregular -form omotion available for driving machinery.-

- Ifalso provide means for protecting, the floats within 'the inlets incase of storms, and for shutting oit' the waves frein theinletsentirelywhen it is desired to discontinue operation of the wavepower or to repair the Heats. I 'also provide means for converting power.generated by the motion of the floats into aiorm which maybe readilyutilized or transmitted, andfor this purpose prefer to employ pressurepumps operated from the shafting driven by theloats, the pressure 'fromthese pumps being utilized in a suitable fluidpressure motor whichlatter, in turn. may drivean Ielectric generator.

My invention is illustrated inaccompanyingA drawings, in which.-

' 'Figure 1 is a side elevation ofone of` the floats in itsope'rativeposition within an inlet andshowing one ofthe' .piers upon which thepower utilizing devices are mounted, the protective 4shields 'beingshown in section. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing one of the loats'mountedin an inlet, the bracesof the showing the float its forward,intermediate and rearward vpositions under the' influence of .al wave,the power-transmitting apparatus 'being omitted. Fig. 6 is `a viewsimilar to Fig. 1 showing a modied arrangement of' the drive-chains andvshafting of the tlcat through' which power is transmitted.

Referring now to the drawings, the letter A represents the piersfcon's'tructed in series along the shore a vsh'efrt distanceout therefrom where the water is the proper depth. These piers may be'of anypreferred construction, such as masonry, concrete or cement, and theremay be any number of them extending any distance desired along the shoreor coast. I have shown three for the purpose or illustration. The piershave straight parallel sides extending from bot.- tom to top, and areprovided with pointed and taperedends, a,`to a height -above high tide.These tapered ends ag, of the piers, 'are for the purpose ofconcentrating, and increasing theforce of the waves and currents as theyenter the inlets formed between .the iers, in which inlets are located aseries .of oats'cr floats B., preferably' one in each inlet. Thecomposedof any suitable number of uprights, seven being shown', to provide,rigid connection or support vfor the/drive chains,

b1, b2. These chains, which are shown asl sprocket chains, are connectedto the uprights near the upper ends thereof at b3, b, and at their otherends are wound upon-spring drums, 65,' b". The spring drums b5 aremounted onthe forward extensiomb?, ofthe fioa t, and the spring drums b,are mounted upon the body .of the' float assho'wn. rIhe drive-chains,b1, b2, engage power/drums,

upon shafts, a3, a4, which extend transversely across the piers an-d arejournaled 1n suitable drums, a1, a2, are connected to the shafts byanysuitable forni of ratchet, a5, by means of shown as sprocketwheelsal, a2, mounted,

bearingfsflfthereon. The power.

which the Vdrums will drive `their respective standards being'omitted.and anv adjacent] shafts when rotating in `one direction, inlet withoutafloat. Figs. 3, i and 5 are' wilbmove idlyupontheshaftswhen rotat`viewf's similar to Fig. 1 v.on a rednced'scale l 111gmthedlretiangw'ltwlll I t 2 .w its.

stood that other forms ofdrive-chains,

lowerl members of the forward extension, bl.

The ends of this anchor bar extend into recesses. a, of the piers andthe bar moves up anddown in these recesses as the float rises and fallsunder the influence of'the waves and tide. These recesses may be facedwith steel and the bar may be shod or otherwise constructed to reducefriction and wear. Slide rods, o, are provided at each side `of thefloat passing through perforations in the anchor bar, 72S, andprovidedwith end springs, b1", bu, to cushion the movement of the float at eachend of its travel. The rearward ends of these rods o, are supported inany suitable way, as by rollers, Z112, resting on the deck of the float,or by suspending them from the piers. l

v In order to more effectively utilize the 'powermf the waves andparticularly to bring itiito use the ground swell, I employ wha crm' anartificial shore line shown at and located a short distance within theentrance of each inlet. This consists of a ridge of concrete or othermaterial upon the ground, and has a gradually sloping surface toward theentrance of the inlet and a more abruptly sloping surface facingtheinner end of the inlet. As the waves and the ground swell advancethey are concentrated by the tapered ends of the piers and are then moreeffectively thrown into operative engagement with the ioat by thisartificial shore line. Y

In order to increase the pressure surface of the lioat presented to theadvancing waves and current of water, I provide transverse lowerextensions or tins, I), extending across the beam of the float,preferably from theforward end to the middle of the tloat and projectingdownwardly.-

The forward or seaward end of the inlet is protected by a stationaryshield, E, constructed of heavy wrought iron or steel resting upon ltheforward tapered ends of the piers and .rigidly secured in place. Thisshield is-preferably convex-curved to present an etcient resistance tothe waves and its lower edge extends to a point which will admit wavesup to a desired height at high tide. High tide level'is represented inFig. 1 by a horizontal discontinuous line. Co-

' operating with this stationary shieldis a movable shield or gate, F,suitably susv pended and ycounter-weighted and sliding within grooves,f, in the piers and capable of b'einglowered and to shut olf partiallyor entirelythe waves from-the inlet in case of storm or'forpermittingrepairs to the float.

other suitable source, and the delivery sides of the pumps are connectedto delivery pipe g1, which discharges into a pressure tank H. Each pumpmay be separately' cut off from the supply pipe by a separate valve g2,g3, so that either pump may continue to run while the other is stoppedto permit it or its shafting to be repaired. The upper portion of thispressure tank H, is filled with air to constitute an air cushion, whilethe water occupies the lower portion of the tank whence itis dischargedthrough discharge pipe L, to the water motor I, which Yis belted to anelectric generator J. A check valve, h1, is located in the delivery pipeg1, and the globe valve h2, in the discharge pipe h. A.

suitable vent at the top of the pressure tank H is provided, and may beused in connection with a whistle as shown at K. A suitable pressuregage water glass h4, safety valve h5, and governor valve h6, are alsoprovided.

In order to replenish the supply of air in the upperpart of pressuretank H and maintain the proper relation between the air and -the waterin said tank, I rovide an air pipe L connected to the supp y pipe g, atZ, and

provide it with a check valve Z1 and the globe valve Z2. When the pumpsare in operation, and it is desired to increase the amount of air in thepressure tank, the globe valve Z2 is opened and a given amount of air isdrawn in with the water by the pumps.

The operation of the apparatus as thus described will be readilyunderstood, and is as follows: The level of the water and the varipuspositions of the float shown in the drawwater level being indicated inFig. 1 by a horizontal discontinuous line. The movable shield or gate Fbeing adjusted to the proper height to admit the waves and the floatbeing in its initial position,as shown in Figs.

l and 3, the in-rushing -wave and ground `swell are concentrated anddirected, by the combined action Vof the tapered ends of the piers andthe artificial shore line, against the lioat and the fins D, the floatstarting rearwardly inthe inlet and its forward portion being raised.`The sides of the piers being solid, and the float fitting closely,prevents spreading of'th'e waves and consequent loss ofLpower. By thismovement of the float, the drive-chains, b1, are drawn toward therearings are those at low tide, the high tide.

shaft at. This position of the float is indicated in iiig. 4. As thewave passes rear- A'wardly in the inlet the forward end of the floatfalls and the rearward end is elevated, while the float still continuesits motion toward the rear of the inlet and consequently the' rotationof both power drums above mentioned. This position, which is the extremeposition of the float within the inlet, is illustrated in Fig. In thisposition the rearward mot-ion is cushioned by the spring 51 coming incontact with the stop at the base of the forward standard upon thetloat. The wave having passed, the float is returned to its forwardposition within the inlet bythe outward fiow'of the water, and

the slack of the chains is taken up by the' springdrums, b5 and be. 4

It will be observed that a Hoat similar to ioat B is to occupy eachinlet, and that while the power receiving and transmitting de vices. maybe provided upon each pier, it i's sutiicient that they be located uponevery second, third or fourth, etc., pier, as may be found expedientunder local conditions.

Referring now to F of the drawings, in which I have shown a modificationof the drive-chains land shaft connections of the .float itwill be seenthat I provide one set of chains m, attached at the upper end ofthefforward uprights or standards,v b, and another set of chains, m1,attached to said standards near their lower ends. This arrangement isduplicated with respect to the rearward standards or uprights. b, andboth sets of chains with the shafting driven thereby are located betweensaid forward and rearward standards. In this arrangement every motion ofthe float both' in rising and falling and in moving rearwardly andforwardly is utilized.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. In a wave power, the combination with piers arrane d to provideinlets therebetween, of a flo-fit reciprocally mounted within an inlet,an .anchor beam movably cpnnecting said float' with said piers, andpower transmitting devices 'operated' by said float, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a wave power, the combination with piers arranged to provideinlets therebetween, of a iioat reciprocally mounted with- I in aninlet, an anchor beam extending across `said inlet, and sliding inchannels in said piers, guides upon said float engaging said anchorbeam, and po'wer transmitting devices operated by said float,substantially as described.

3. In a wave power, the combination with piers arranged' to provideinlets therebetween, of a float reciprocally mounted within an inlet, ananchor beam extending across saidinlet and sliding in channels insaidvpiers, guides upon said float engaging said anchor beam, guide rodsslidingly connecting said float and anchor beam and preventing lateralmovement of the former, and power transmitting devices operated by saidfloat, substantially as described. l

v4. In a wave power, the combination with piers arranged to provideinlets therebetween, of float reciprocally mounted with- -in an inlet,an anchor beam movably connecting said float with saidpiers, means forcushioning said float at the forward 'and yrearward ends of its travel,and power transmitting devices operated by said float, sub

stantially as described.

.5. In a wave power, the combination with piers arranged to provideinlets therebetween, of a float reciprocally mounted within an inlet, ananchor beam extending across said inlet and sliding in channels in saidpiers, guides upon said float engaging said. anchor beam, guide rodsslidingly connectinglsaid float and anchor beam and prey .5* ing lateral,movementV of' the former, and springs upon said guideA rods to cushionthe .float at the ends of its travel, and power transmitting devicesoperated by said float, substantially as described. v 6. In a wavepower, the combination with piers arranged to provide inletstherebetween of a float reciprocally mounted within an inlet, powershafts journaled upon said piers and extendingfover said inlet, powerdrums upon said shafts, a set ofup-v rights rigidly mounted near eachend of said float, and flexible driving connections between said powerdrums and the upper portions ofsaid uprights, substantially asdescribed.

7 In a waver power, the combination with piers arranged to provideinlets therebein an'inlet, power shafts journaled upon 'said 'piers andextending 'over .said inlet, ratchet drums upon saidshafts, a set .ofuprights rigidly mounted near each end of said-- float, and flexibleconnections engaging s aidA ratchet drums rigidly' attached'to saiduprights and yieldingly attached to the float,- substantiallyasdescribed. i

V S. In a wave power, the combination with adjacent piers havingstraight solid 'sides and arranged to provide inlets therebetween, ofoats closely fitting said inletsand mounted for reciprocating motionto-and-fro'lontransmitting gitudinallv therein. and

substantially n power devices operated by said fioats, as described..

9. In a wave power, the combination with piers arranged. to provideinlets therebetween, of a float reciprocally mounted 11i an inlet andtransverse `fins extending downwardly 'from said float, substantially asdescribed.

10. In a wave power, the combination with .piers arranged to provideinlets therebetween, of a lioat mounted for reciprocatingto-and-fro-movement within an inlet and `oating upon the water therein,and means arranged on the bottom of said inlet to adetlect the groundswell upwardly against said float, substantially as described.

11.. In a. wave power, the combination with piers arranged to provideinlets therebetween, of a float' mounted for reciprocating to-and-fromovement within an inlet and i lioating upon the water therein, and anartificial vshore line or deflector near the entrance on the bottom ofsaid inlet arranged to deliect the ground swell upwardlyl againstsaidlloat, substantially as described. i

12. In a wave power,the combination with y piers having tapered ends andarranged to provide inlets therebetween, of: a Heat mountedforreciprocating to-and-ro movement within an inlet and floating upon theWater therein, and means arranged on the bottom of said inletfordeflecting the ground swell upwardly tol combine with the surface.

swell vconcentrated by the tapered ends of said piers, substantially asdescribed;

piers arranged to provide inlets therebetween, of a lioatmounted withinan inlet, .l

and a shield adjustably mounted across the entrance of saidinlet tolimit the admission of waves to, or exclude them from, said inlet,substantially as described.'

15. 'In a wave power, the combination with piers arranged to provideinlets therebetween, of a float mounted within an inlet, a shield fixedacrossthe entrance of said inlet and adapted to exclude waves ofabnormal height therefrom, and a second shield adjustably mounted topartially or wholly eX- clude waves from said inlet, substantially asdescribed.

16. In a wave power,the combination with a series of piers arranged toprovide inlets therebetween, of lloats reciprocally mounted forto-and-t'ro movement longitudinally and to. receive 'direct wave impactwithin said inlets, power shafts journaled upon said piers and extendingover a plurality of said inlets, and driving connections between aplurality of said lioats and said power shafts, substantially asdescribed.

17. In a-wave power, the combination with piers arranged to provideinlets therebetween, of a float operatively mounted within an inlet,power shafting journaled upon said' piers, driving connection betweensaid loatand shafting, a pressure reservoir, a pump operated from saidshafting and discharging into said reservoir, a liquid supply connectionfor the intakeside of said pump, and a valve controlling the admissionof air to said liquid supply connection, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofr I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

v LEWIS VOLF LEY. I/Vitnesses:

M. E. SPAITLDING, EMMA CHURCH.

